MULTAN:From wiping out green gloss off the plant leaf to troubling human health, smog, a dangerous environmental degradation phenomenon, is again expected to play the way it does every year from Oct end to early January necessitating people to be cautious and stop all acts that could contribute to provoke it further.
Smog is a mixture of dust particles and chemicals suspended in the atmosphere very close to earth surface and appear early in winter. Gases already present in the air like Carbon Mono Oxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Methane, Sulphur DiOxide, Hydrocarbons and other chemicals and dust particles form smog that pollute the atmosphere and act dangerously against flora, fauna and human being, agriculture spokesman said in a statement.
Being nearer to earth surface, intense smog can potentially stop plants’ growth and causes great losses to foodgrain crops, fruit and vegetables. Smog also carry the risk of causing acidic rain, the official said.
Plants’ leaf lose their green colour and become colourless or yellowish, thus unable to form food. It occurs at a time when farmers are engaged in sowing of Rapeseed and vegetables or in harvesting paddy, cotton, maize and some other vegetables. The least damage it inflicts on plants is it can compromise production.
Spokesman said that smoke emitting out of vehicles and industrial units chimneys contribute to smog. He added that farmers’ dangerous practice of burning paddy waste also add to the smog phenomenon.
He said that sensing the danger well before it start hurting the environment, the Punjab government has declared smog a natural calamity and formed a commission. Instructions have already been issued to monitor the situation and activate all departments and district administrations concerned to take special measures. Punjab government has issued an advisory and a control room has been set up to monitor the air quality round the clock. The anti-smog activities would intensify with the severity of the smog phenomenon and all possible measures were being taken on a war footing, the spokesman added.
Government has instructed farmers to bury the paddy waste in soil to improve its fertility and preserve organic material instead of burning it, he said adding that the violators would face action. After paddy harvest, its remains be mixed in soil by Rice Straw Chopper, Rotovator or Disc Harrow. Or farmers can opt for deep plough
and appy half bag of Urea per acre and water.
Smog mitigation cell and monitoring teams were closely monitoring incidents of burning of paddy remains and taking action against the violators.
Spokesman said that burning waste creates smoke that hinders traffic operations on highways due to resultant low visibility and cause accidents that could be fatal. The spokesman advised installing treatment plants at industrial units emitting smoke through chimneys. He advised people to stay indoors during smog days and wear facemask, cover head by some piece of cloth and protect eyes by sun glasses before going out to avoid health related problems. Neutralizing negative smog impact may well be beyond human reach but its impact can certainly be reduced by our actions, the spokesman concluded.